Index.



GpS. WHITE.

INDEX APPLICATION FILED IuLY 25.1914.

Patented Sept.

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INDEX. APPLICATION- FILED IULY 25.1914.

Patented Sept. Il, 1917.

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Patented Sept'. 11, 191?.

G. s. WHITE.

INDEX. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. 1914.

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GUSTINE SNOVDEN WHITE, OF DUNMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

INDEX.

Application filed July 25, 1914.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTrNE S. VHrrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dunmore, county of Lackaivanna, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

This invention relates to indexes for indexing public records and the like, and has forfits object to provide an index of such character as to facilitate the searching of the records.

In furtherance of this object, the invention consists in providing a primary index containing the family names which it is desired to index arranged in dictionary order. A final index is provided, which preferably constitutes a portion of the same bool; containing the primary index, and in this final index, a certain space is allotted for the indexing of all records in the same family name. For instance, one page may be reserved for the indexing of all the records in one family name, While` another page may be reserved for indexing all the records in another family name. All the records in one family name, no matter hou7 such name is spelled, will, therefore, be indexed in grouped form. These allotted spaces or pages of the final index are numbered or otherwise identified, and such number or other identications indicated or recorded beside the proper names in the primary index. The same number will be recorded beside allof the variations of the same family name in the primary index, and, therefore, in referring' to the page indicated by any one of such variations of one family name, the Searcher will have before him an index of all the records of that family name, no matter how the name be spelled.

Another phase of the invention consists in duplicating or repeating the list of surnames in the primary index and identifying each repetition of such names by a letter of the alphabet, Which will indicate the first initial of the given name of those persons Whose instruments are recorded on the page indicated beside the surname. For instance, a thumb index may be employed which will divide the primary index into twenty-six parts, each part being indicated by one ofw Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. lll, i917.

Serial No. 853,038.

the letters of the alphabet on the thumb index. Each division of the primary index Will contain the same surnames, and upon referring to one of the divisions, such as that indicated by M, for instance, on the thumb index, the number beside the surname will refer to that page of the final index on which is recorded all of the records in that family name of persons Whose given names commence with l/f.

The invention further contemplates the provision of an intermediate index when the use of such an index is desirable, in which the instruments are recorded of those persons in Whose family name there is only one account. Vhen such is the case, an item number is indicated beside suoli persons7 surname in the primary index, which item number refers to the intermediate index in which the items are consecutively arranged. For instance, if a person opens an account or records an instrument, and no other account stands in the same family name, the record will be recorded in the intermediate index and receive its proper serial item number, which item number Will then be indicated beside the proper surnames in the primary index. Upon the receipt of the second instrument in the same .family name, the account will be transferred to the final index above referred to, and the number of the page of the final index on Which such record is indexed is indicated beside the proper surnames in the primary index.

The invention consists in the provision of Vcertain other features which will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Whichzd Figure l represents a fragment of a page of the primary index;

Fig. 2 represents a fragment of a page of the intermediate index; and

Fig. 3 represents a fragment of a page of the final index.

A book suitable for the purpose preferably contains and is reserved for all the family names beginning with each letter in the alphabet. That is, one book will be reserved for all the family names beginning with the letter Sh and, in the present instance, the complete list of family names beginning with S is duplicated for Aach letter' in the alphabet, and each of such duplieations indicated by a thumb index tab a1'- ranged at the margin of the page. The page represented in Fig. l, occurs in that part of the book indentified by the thumb index tab M, shown at l in Fig. l. In each division of the book, the names are pi'inted, ivri t ten or otlierw-ise recorded in vertical columns to economize space. Two columns are provided beside eacli list of naines, one of which is headed Item No, as shown at 2 in Fig. l, and the otherl headed Page No, as shown at 3 in Fig. l. The number occurring` in the column headed Page No. will refer to the page in the final index, on which is indexed all the records in one family name of persons whose given name begins with the letter M. For instance, the name Sclimidt, which is shown as the eighth name in the first column of surnames in Fig. l, has recorded beside the same, the page number 10. Turning to page l in the final index, a fragment of which is illustrated iii Fig. 3, it will be noted that not only all the records of persons whose surname isSchmidt i and whose first initial is M, are indexed on this page, but also records of other persons who have the saine family name, such as the surname Smithf7 provided, of course, the initial of such persons first name coinmences with the letter M. Likewise, any other division of the primary index, such as that identified by the letter J, for instance,- may` be turned to and the numbers beside the surnames in such division will refer to that page orpages of the final. index in which all the iecords of one family name are indexed of those persons whose first or given names begin with the letter J. n seai'cliiiig the records, it is, therefore, not necessary to search each variation of the family name separately, since, according to the present system, all of the variations of the saine family name are grouped together, provided the first initial of all persons having suchy family name is the same.

"In recording the names, and assuming that a record is to be indexed in the name of Schmidt, and that the persons first name isv Myraf the page on which the M. Schmidts should be recorded is first turned to and the proper data written or recorded thereon, such, for instance, as the date of the instrument, the grantors name, the grantees naine, the volume and page in which the record is recorded, the location, and the date of record of the instrument.

,The number of the page on which this data which is shown as indexed on page l0, of the final index (Fig. 3), the number l0 will be written in the column headed Page No. of the primary index beside the naine Schmidt Likewise, the saine page number will be placed beside all the variations of the name Schmidt in the primary index, since the records in the name of all of suoli parties will be indexed on page 10 of the final index. For instance, the last five names in the first column in Fig. l are variations of the same family name, and, therefore, all records in the name of any one of such parties lwould be indexed on the same page iii the final index. In the present instance, it occurs that the recordsrin the family Vname of Smith are indexed on page 10, and this accounts for the niuiieralV 10 occurring beside the last five names in theV first column of Fig. l, as these are all varia tions of the same familyname Smith It may happen, however, that the several variations of the same family name may be scattered throughout the list'vof surnames, and for convenience, the surnames are preferably consecutively numbered, as shown vat 4l in Fig. l. The space allotted for each surname will also contain a cross reference to all other variations of the same family name. The name Schliffeig for instance, .being the first name in the first columnof Fig. l, contains a cross reference to No. 222,`wliich, it will be seen, is the name Schlililen In order to cconomize space, the records are not indexed in the fina-l index until two instruments are recorded in the same family naine. lVhen the first instrument is to be recorded, for instance, in the name of Mary Simon, an intermediate index, a fragment ofl one page of which is represented in Fig. 2,- is turned to and the name of the grantor This ac-` count will be given an item number, which,`

recorded, as shown at 5 in Fig. 2.

in the present instance, is number 261, this being the next serial number to 260, which represents the itein number of the last instrument indexed.v The number 261 is then item 255 was indexed in the name of Smith,

as shown at 6 in Fig. 2, the number 255 was placed beside the naine Smith in the primary index in division M, and also beside all the variations of such names, as shown `by the last five naines in the first column of Fig. l.

Upon the receipt of the second instrument` to be recorded in the same family naine, the record was indexed in the final index on. page l0, as shown in Fig. 3. The surnames in the primary index having no page number beside the same, but showing an item number` have only one instrument recorded, and. such names must be looked for iii the inter` mediate index beside the corresponding item i number. llhen tivo instruments are; recorded in the same'family-name, all variations ofsuch `family name in the primaryindex are supplied with the page number, which refersto vthe final index on which such instruments are indexed, as above described. If an item number and a page number both occur beside-a name in the primarv index, itis, therefore, evidence that two instruments have been recorded in the same family name. In the event that a name has no item number or page number beside the same, no instrument has been recorded.

As will be seen' from Fig. 2, the names in the intermediate index may be recorded in the proper place, according to the first letter of the given name, all the initials or first letters of the given names of the grantors in Fig. 2 being M.

The pages of the book may contain, if desired, certain information to instruct the Searcher how to use the index, such information being shown in F ig, l at 7. Furthermore, if desired, the list of surnames in the primary index may be supplemented by a key system, such as the irst-three-letter key system, shown at 8 in Fig. 1. Each of such keys is followed by all the names commencing with the three letters contained in the key, the letters Sch7 at the top of the first column in Fig. 1, indicating, for instance, that all the names which follow commence with S.ch. The next key shown in Fig. l, is Sor, which indicates that names beginning with Ser follow. This is to facilitate the finding of any certain name in an obvious manner. This feature, in combination with the dictionary arrangement of the surnames, or even the latter feature alone, enables the Searcher to ind any name desired in a short space of time.

The index illustrated and described is of that type known as a current index, but it is obvious that the same system of indexing may be employed in a closed index,

- that is, an index which contains the records up to a given time, the only difference being that in the closed index, only surnames are listed of those persons who have instruments recorded. In the current index described, the surnames of all of the persons in a given county are listed, whether such persons have instruments recorded or not. In case that a person should open an account or have an instrument recorded whose name does not occur in the index, it is only necessary to add the name at the end of the list of surnames in the primary index, where a suitable space may be reserved for the same.

Obviously many different kinds of records may be indexed according to the present system, and I do not wish to limit myself to the indexing of that type of records referred to herein, nor do I wish to limit myself to the exact arrangement shown, as

" many changes may be made without deprovided with a plurality of similar lists of surnames arranged in dictionary order, each of such lists `being identified by a letter of the alphabet, a vertical series of spaces beside said surnamesfhavinga caption `indicatingthat such spaces are reserved for reference indications, the final index having a plurality of spaces each identified by a reference indication whereby one of such reference indications when inserted in the spaces reserved therefor in the primary index beside all variations of the same surname in one list indicates that the space in the final index bearing the correspondingreference indication should receive all variations of such surname whose given name begins with the letter identifying the list in which such names belong.

2. An index comprising a primary index and a final index, the primaryI index being provided with a plurality of similar lists of surnames arranged in dictionary order, a thumb index having letters of the alphabet, each of which identifies one of said lists, a vertical series of spaces beside said surnames having a caption indicating that such spaces are reserved for reference indications, the final index having a plurality of spaces each identified by a reference indication whereby one of such reference indications when inserted in the spaces reserved therefor in the primary index beside all variations of the same surname in one list indicates that the space in the final index bearing the corresponding reference indication should receive all variations of such surname whose given name begins with the letter identifying the list in which such names belong.

3. An index comprising a primary index, an intermediate index and a final index, the primary index being provided with a plurality of similar lists of surnames arranged in dictionary order and having one vertical series of spaces beside the surnames having a caption indicating that such spaces are reserved for recording an item number, and a second vertical series of spaces beside the surnames having a caption indicating that the spaces of the second series are reserved for recording a page number, each list of surnames in the primary index having a letter of the alphabet to identify the same, the intermediate index having a series of consecutively arranged item numbers beside which the data of the records may be recorded, the item number of each of such records being recorded in the spaces reserved for the same beside all variations of the corresponding surname in the primary index, and the final index having a plurality 0f pages each identified by a number whereby one of such page numbers When inserted in the spaces reserved for the same in the primary index beside all variations of the same surname in one list indicates that such page of the final index should receive all variations of such surname Whose given name begins with the letter identifya ing the list in Which such names belong.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for tive cents each, by addressing the v Washington, D. C.

bers associated with said surnames, thenuinber of each surname Which is a variation ofa single family name associated with all other variations of the same family name whereby-each name will refer to all other variations of the same family name.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence oftivo Witnesses.

GUSTINE sNoWDEN WHITE.

Witnesses:

REESE H IIARRIS, y MAx F. HENKELMAN.

Commissioner of Patents, 

